Steel Cable

[seandepagnier]

How well does stainless steel cable work for anchoring? What diameters are appropriate for a 4 ton vessel?

[David M]

You don't want a big, heavy, in the way rusty cable drum up on your foredeck. For only a four ton vessel, stick with convention and get a length of chain about the length of your boat attached to the anchor. Attach the other end of the chain to a length of three strand nylon, which is very easy to splice. Get about 200 to 300 feet of 1/2 inch three-strand.

Your boat is light enough to pull the anchor by hand if you on the foredeck and the person at the wheel and throttle is well practiced.

[seandepagnier]

I have chain and line right now and I do pull it up by hand, but I thought I could make use of cable, and it would also be resistant to chafe on rocks. Maybe the biggest problem with cable is I would need a drum?

[captainKJ]

The drum and WEIGHT of the wire are some of the drawbacks,,, also wire can kink,,, then it breaks easily,,, you have to through the whole spool away then and get new

stay with chain and rope

[pressuredrop]

gecko - youve had plenty of good ideas, but this aint one of them

[Sailmonkey]

This is the only sort of cable anchor winch I've had the pleasure to operate............do you want it on your bow?!?!?